


The In-Betweens

by paatuhod



Category: Naruto, Sasusaku - Fandom
Genre: F/M, SasuSaku - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2020-06-05 07:35:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19415884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paatuhod/pseuds/paatuhod
Summary: Canon compliant one-shots I daydream about from time to time. SasuSaku across the years.





	1. The Aftermath

His mind was still reeling—Sakura was quiet beside him but from what he could gather from the whispers of their classmates shuffling around them, the three Sound ninja that had just left and offered Sasuke their scroll in exchange for their lives were all very strong, and the _Konoha genin_ would have most likely died, if not for…

A sudden stab of pain pierced through Sasuke’s left shoulder and he couldn’t help but twitch, causing Sakura to glance worriedly at him and reach out with her right hand to touch the mark which at the moment was known only to them.

Sasuke didn’t want to draw the attention of the other _genin_ towards it, though, so with what remained of his strength he grabbed Sakura’s hand and held it between them.

The pink-haired kunoichi would have blushed, and he would have too, if not for the utter exhaustion that had drained them both.

Instead, they stared at each other—Sakura with concern in her eyes and Sasuke with curiosity in his.

He didn’t remember what happened during the whispered narrations of the other _genin_ , but right now he could see clearly that his teammate’s face was horribly injured, her right eye swollen, and her long, beautiful pink hair cut with what looked like a sharp object, probably a _kunai_. He gritted his teeth and squeezed her hand.

“Who—”

Sakura shook her head, glancing around.

“It doesn’t matter, Sasuke- _kun_ ,” she whispered. “I simply tried my best to protect my comrades. It’s what’s expected of a _kunoichi_ , even a weak one like me.”

Sasuke was about to argue, but Sakura smiled and continued.

“I know what I’m capable of. I know that I am smarter than both you and Naruto but I have a long way to go in _taijutsu_ and _ninjutsu_ … but I’ll catch up to you both. That’s a promise.”

She was still smiling, and upon discovering that Sasuke’s left hand was still on hers, she looked at them and spoke in an even softer voice.

“I was so scared earlier. I thought both you and Naruto _and_ Lee would die on my watch and I couldn’t forgive myself if that ever happened. In the end, you saved us all, Sasuke-kun. Thank you,” she glanced up at him. “But I don’t trust that mark. I don’t like what it did to you, Sasuke-kun. You weren’t—”

“What are you talking about?”

“I—huh?”

“If not for you, Naruto, Lee, and I would be dead by now. You did well,” he muttered, looking fiercely at her.

“I—thank you, Sasuke-kun,” Sakura whispered, all red now. “Maybe Lee-san would agree to train with me on _taijutsu_ …” she babbled.

Sasuke frowned.

“I’m just as—”

“Sakura-chan!” they heard their loud blond friend scream, apparently awake now.

Both of them looked behind them at Naruto, who had a worried look on his face. The latter seemed oblivious to their still clasped hands.

“What—what happened to your hair?!”


	2. Sakura's Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was Sasuke’s birthday and he was almost 100% sure Sakura was going to throw him a surprise party. What else was he going to do but run?

He never would have told anyone about the significance of this day in the first place but unfortunately, information like someone's birthday was necessary when submitting graduation requirements.

Their sensei had tasked Sakura to double-check her teammates' compliance with the said submission and with it, the corresponding completeness of forms, and to Sasuke's horror, she had seen the date he had scribbled neatly below his name.

Sasuke had not heard a peep about it from his pink-haired teammate since, but considering his birthday had only been a month away from graduation, the memory of the glint in Sakura's eye kept coming back to his mind.

A week before the 23rd, Sasuke began to actively avoid the kunoichi. He was barely around his team except for missions.

What surprised him was the girl didn't seem to mind, even though he knew he was being obvious. This just strengthened his theory that she was planning something. On normal days, she would have been asking him out on some random date—

"Oh, hello, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura had greeted him when they met accidentally in town on one of their off days and his heart almost jumped out of his chest.

" _Kami_ , Sakura, you scared me."

"Me? Scare the prodigy Uchiha Sasuke?" Sakura had teased. "I doubt." She made a _tsk_ sound and started going in the other direction.

"See you later, Sasuke-kun!"

The twelve-year-old boy stared at his teammate's retreating form and decided he couldn't take it anymore.

He was going to go ask Naruto about it.

* * *

"Well?"

"No, _Teme_ , I really don't know! If she does, she hasn't told me about it!"

"You better not be lying."

He probably wasn't. Naruto wasn't very good at hiding anything. However, Sasuke wouldn't put it past Sakura to hide the surprise from the blond until the very last minute, just so slip-ups would be avoided.

"I'm not! Why are you so sure she's going to throw _you_ a party, anyway?" Naruto harrumphed.

"Shut up!" He knew his face was red, but he tried to hide his embarrassment behind his sharp tone.

"Well, she did throw Ino one when we were in the academy," Naruto scrunched up his face at the effort of remembering.

"What? When?"

"You know, the one with all the flowers and balloons, and everyone in class was invited?"

Sasuke frowned. He didn't remember.

"Yeah!" Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "They were pretty close back then! Sakura-chan made everyone flower crowns and Kiba even performed dog tricks with Akamaru. It was pretty fun!"

"Ah," Sasuke murmured. _She threw her blonde friend a big party with flower crowns and dog tricks and everyone was invited._ He bet he had been, too, but he hadn't been really one to socialize.

"But it's not like she would do the same for you," Naruto murmured back.

"Right."

"When's your birthday, any—hey, _Teme_! I'm still talking to you!"

* * *

It was a day before the one he dreaded, and Uchiha Sasuke was openly running from Haruno Sakura.

Somehow, luckily, _suspiciously_ , Kakashi had dismissively said they had no mission the next day, and so he could spend all day away from his teammates. He had thought he saw Sakura look away guiltily but when he blinked, her expression was back to normal.

" _Jaa_ , see you all the day after tomorrow, then," their sensei drawled, and the _genin_ started to disperse.

"Sasuke, stay a bit, I want to talk to you about something."

Both Naruto and Sakura looked curiously at Kakashi. Their _jounin_ sensei never asked Sasuke to stay behind. It was almost always Naruto when he was extra reckless during missions.

"What about?" the Uchiha asked cautiously.

"Why don't we sit down?"

"Kakashi. What do you want."

"Fine, fine," Kakashi waved away the rudeness, used to it by now.

"You probably know already, that Sakura has been planning something for your birthday tomorrow."

_Of course he knew._

Kakashi looked at him grimly, watching the _genin_ swallow tensely.

Sasuke however did not say anything and stared back just as grimly at his sensei, so the latter sighed and continued.

"Promise me that whatever it is, you'll accept it with grace."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow passively, but he was already panicking on the inside. Images of Sakura making him wear a flower crown almost made him shudder, but not as much as the thought that he would have to interact with everyone he ever met in the village.

Kakashi seemed to realize "accept it with grace" was too much to ask of Sasuke.

"Just try to be nice to her. I'm sure she worked hard on whatever it is."

Why was he pretending not to know about it? Sasuke's eye twitched.

"Is that all?"

…

"Yes."

Sasuke heaved a final sigh and started to walk away.

"Sasuke."

"What?"

"Don't give her such a hard time trying to find you tomorrow, eh?"

The Uchiha sighed once more, suddenly exhausted.

* * *

His last birthday celebration had been a small affair. Just his family. His _okaa-san_ had made him his favorite _onigiri_ with _okaka_ , and various tomato-based dishes. He hadn't been one for sweets even then, and his brother had complained about the lack of cake.

His brother…

Sasuke shook his head, trying to steady his breath. He was not going to have a panic attack. Not right now.

His thoughts went back unwillingly to that day, remembering his father sitting there eating his wife's cooking serenely. He hadn't sung along to the _otanjoubi_ _omedetou_ s of the other two but he patted Sasuke's head by the end of the song, and Sasuke had felt elated.

He sighed now, looking across the lake. He had situated himself in plain sight, at least in his opinion. He often went to this spot and he was sure Sakura knew about it.

He had been sitting on the boat deck and waiting for her since the crack of dawn. He hadn't been able to sleep, anyway, so might as well get it over with before he changed his mind and decided to run away as far as he could.

It was cold this early, though, and even if he had brought a blanket with him, he still shivered occasionally. He considered making a fireball, but that would waste chakra and he needed all the energy he could muster for—

"Sasuke-kun?" a voice called softly from behind him.

Ah. It was time.

He turned to see Sakura with her hands behind her back and a tentative smile on her face. He wondered how he hadn't sensed her chakra until she spoke. He would have admired it if not for the more pressing feeling of dread for what's about to come.

He looked back at the lake but didn't make any indication that he would move, so the _kunoichi_ took this as a sign to get on with what she was going to do.

He felt Sakura shuffle slowly towards and sit beside him.

"Happy birthday," she almost whispered, perhaps afraid to disturb the eerie stillness of the dawn.

He glanced at her to see the fog rising from her warm breath.

"I actually asked Kakashi-sensei to give us a day off today, because, well… I had a surprise for you."

That was something he had already guessed, but he bit his tongue, remembering his promise.

Instead, he gave a non-committal "hn" as per usual, and watched as Sakura turn to her other side, steeling himself to be blindfolded.

"I made you lunch!"

Sasuke blinked, as the kunoichi presented him with an enormous three-layered bento box. Had she been carrying that from her home? They were at the outskirts of the village…

Sakura's smile began to waver as the Uchiha stared incredulously. But as she was about to put the bento down he took it gingerly from her, put it on his lap and stared some more.

He was confused.

"Can I show you?" Sakura said enthusiastically.

"A-ah," Sasuke replied, unfastening the double locks.

Inside the top layer were four faces on onigiri, their team members'. They were all neatly placed in the box, Kakashi with his nori mask dyed blue and Naruto with a fishcake on his forehead protector. Sakura's ribbon in turn seemed to be made of tomato peel, and a sniff told him they were his favorite _okaka_. His onigiri sat in the middle, with an uncharacteristic smile on its face. All around were little cherry tomatoes, the ones he loved eating as a snack.

He held onto the bento tightly. No one had done this for him before. Not since…

"I know it's a little simple," she flushed, taking in Sasuke's frown. "I only learned how to make them last week. Okaa-san has been teaching me. But I hope you like them, they're us, you see? I know our team only just formed but I didn't want to make multiple _onigiri_ with only Sasuke-kun's face, and this looks better, not that you're ugly, Sasuke-kun! It's just, we look like a family here," she paused, smiling softly.

"There are more inside—there's this Filipino dish I made that I hope you'll like, it's _kinamatisang manok_! Just chicken with a tomato-based soup! I figured, you don't really like sweets, but I know you love tomatoes, and you probably wanted to be alo—"

"Sakura," he managed. "How…"

"When we were in the academy, they were all you ever ate," she explained breathily.

…

"Thank you," he said softly.

The kunoichi blushed, and smiled radiantly at him.

His heart did a little somersault which he tried his best to ignore, and he shook his head instead, frowning.

"What is it, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, noticing his expression.

He hesitated.

"Naruto said… you threw Yamanaka a party when we were younger. Flowers and dog tricks and…" he couldn't help but mention.

Sakura's laugh tinkled in the early morning, and he swore it disturbed the dew on the plants around them.

"I did, didn't I? You didn't come, I invited you," she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Ah," he apologized.

"But… that was for Ino. Why would I throw Uchiha Sasuke a Yamanaka Ino party?"

She looked at him wide-eyed, and he almost smiled.

"I just thought…" _That you didn't understand. That you would force me to…_ "That makes sense," he said instead.

Sakura nodded.

"I asked for a day off because I figured you should do what you want for your birthday. _Except train,_ " Sakura said firmly. "You've always been working too hard. You should treat yourself or something," she explained.

He didn't know what to say. All the worry he had felt was for nothing. Sakura had given him a day he could spend however he wanted.

He looked at her, long pink hair blowing slightly because of the breeze, and realized he had widely misjudged her character.

He was still staring when Sakura cleared her throat and started to get up.

"Well I should get going…"

Unbidden, his hand caught his teammate's wrist, and tugged her back down.

"What—Sasuke-kun?"

"Would you stay and eat some with me?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Sakura's eyes widened.

"Really?"

He bumped her arm lightly with the box in response.

Sasuke took the onigiri with Sakura's face on it, telling himself it was because it had tomato peel on it.

Sakura, however, blushed, and in turn, picked up the one with his face.

"Was your… um," she hesitated.

"Go on," he said not unkindly.

"What were your other birthdays like? Um… before… never mind, forget what I—" she floundered.

"Just like this one," he said, and took a generous bite of his _onigiri_.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday to the love of my life, Uchiha Sasuke!


	3. Shuriken Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura had not gone to the training grounds alone since she had met her friend Ino. As she battles old fears, she meets a new acquaintance.

* * *

She was having an off day.

After class, she had begged Ino-chan to go with her to the training grounds as they usually did since they had become friends three weeks ago, but the blonde said her _okaa-san_ had asked her to help at the shop today, and further insisted that Sakura needed to go there alone someday.

_The kids would leave you alone now_ , Ino-chan had said matter-of-factly. _You're my friend, and if they messed with you, they'd have to deal with me._

She had assured Sakura they would meet later after her errands, with their civilian friends, to play.

Ino had then sauntered off to do whatever she needed to do, leaving Sakura alone, anxious, and tugging at her navy blue dress.

_It's okay, Sakura_ , she thought. _You can do this._

Just in case, she removed the ribbon that tied her hair back and stuffed it in her backpack. She let her hair cover her forehead, feeling a little comforted by the fact.

She took a deep breath, and headed towards the training grounds behind the Ninja Academy.

Although she went to the shuriken post almost farthest from the entrance, immediately she noticed one of the boys glance at her and grin.

"Hey look, everyone, it's Forehead Girl!" He snickered, immediately capturing the attention of the other children around him.

_Don't mind them_ , Sakura thought. _They won't do anything to you. Not really._

She took her ninja tool bag from her backpack and tied it around her waist, gathering up her shuriken. Consciously, she fixed her bangs a bit. 

"That won't do anything, it's still huge!" One boy snickered.

"Forehead! Where's your _okaa-chan_ Yamanaka?" Another added.

Everyone laughed.

Her hand trembled, but she paid them no mind.

She took a deep breath and launched her shuriken. _Thunk_. It landed just a little ways off the target.

"Her head must be so heavy, it messes up her aim!"

The kids laughed again.

_Swish_. The second shuriken landed somewhere in the bushes, but she couldn't tell exactly where. She blinked fast, trying to hide the tears pooling in her eyes.

"Haha! Look, she's crying!" 

"Hey, Forehead Girl, can I practice on you? That way, there might be a better chance of me hitting the target!"

_Klak_. The third shuriken slipped from her hand, and she suddenly couldn't breathe. She willed her voice to come out, but without Ino, she seemed to have regressed to the silent, crying Sakura she was before. It was pitiful and made her feel angry at herself, but the tears kept coming anyway.

"I—"

"I—what, Forehead? Say something?"

"I—I—"

The kids laughed harder.

_Thunk_ . _Thunk_ . _Thunk_ . _Thunk_.

The laughter died suddenly, replaced by stunned silence.

"You guys are too loud," a small, but curt voice broke it, making Sakura look towards the source. To her surprise, there was a boy practicing shuriken throws at the post farthest from the entrance, a few meters from Sakura. She had been so distracted she didn't notice.

Said boy was looking at the children on the other side of the grounds with a death glare, and he apparently threw four shuriken at them, hitting all their posts with scary precision. Sakura was not surprised that the others began shuffling out of the area, leaving her and the other boy alone.

The boy, who had raven black hair and a high-collared shirt that was a deeper blue than her own dress, spared her a glance and walked back towards his own post, resuming his practice.

A red and white fan was stitched on his back. A clan? Sakura knew that powerful clans lived in the village, but she had only ever met Ino, a Yamanaka, and her two friends Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji. She wondered what clan that fan symbolized. 

_He must have amazing eyesight, and aim, to have hit those posts from so far away_.

"Thank you," Sakura said, realizing what he had done. "I'm Haruno Sakura," she added for good measure.

The boy glanced at her, then back at his target, without saying anything.

"What's your name?" she pushed.

...

"Uchiha Sasuke," the boy said hesitantly.

"Sasuke- _kun_ ," she tried it out. "You know, the _sandaime_ 's father was named Sasuke too."

"I know, I was named after him."

"That's amazing!"

"Not really."

"Oh," Sakura smiled, biting her lip awkwardly. "Dealing with the other kids is hard for me. Usually Ino-chan is here to defend me but today—"

"She isn't always going to be there, you know. You have to learn to stand up for yourself."

"I... I know. It's just... they start laughing and I freeze. I'll practice, I promise," she said determinedly.

Sasuke started gathering his shuriken.

"Where are you going?"

"My brother is waiting for me at home."

As he passed Sakura, he paused and scrutinized her forehead.

"It isn't any bigger than mine."

Sakura froze, seeing his face up close. He was right.

She jumped, realizing he was gone. The sun was low in the sky, tinging everything with orange. She was supposed to meet her friends! Hurriedly, she reached for her ribbon and tied her hair back again, energy renewed.

* * *

  
  


"There you are," Ino exclaimed. "I was beginning to worry—"

"Guys, guys!" Sakura said excitedly. "Guess what! I have a boy I like!"

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always wondered how Sakura and Sasuke first met—and how Sakura got her crush! (I made her take off her ribbon so Sasuke could have the excuse of not recognizing her when she tried to confess for the first time LOL)
> 
> Anyway there seems to be little content surrounding Sakura's childhood, and I tried to flesh it out in this chapter, including her friendship with Ino (how she was quite dependent on her), her traumas, and how imperfect yet determined she is to become better. That last one is the reason I love her character growth so much.
> 
> Aaaah hope you liked this chapter! Leave comments! <3


	4. Over Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #SasuSakuTwitFest2020
> 
> Day 1 Prompt: Time Travel
> 
> Chapter Summary: Husband and wife speak over dinner. (the aftermath of BRT Episode 136)

"I met you."

"Pardon?" Sakura asked, a confused look on her face as she watched her husband navigate his way one-handedly through his dinner.

"Your... genin self," Sasuke continued.

"...Oh." She realized what must have happened. _Time travel? How outlandish._ But at this point surely nothing surprised her anymore.

"Was it right after we... you left? I must have been a mess." She jested instead, searching her husband's eyes.

Sasuke seemed surprised at her choice of words but merely smiled and did not challenge them.

"On the contrary, you seemed to have progressed very quickly on your training. You were more focused than I've ever seen you when we were genin."

He was frowning and looking down at his meal.

"What's wrong?" She asked, reaching out and touching his arm.

"...You said I was a pervert."

"Oh." She pursed her lips.

"Did you do anything to warrant that comment?"

"No but I had to cover up for my mistake. And you said I was just like Jiraiya."

"Anata..." She was trying to hold back a smile because he was obviously pouting.

"You were the most difficult variable in my mission, Sakura. I kept worrying you might recognize me."

"Sasuke-kun," she said firmly this time.

He finally looked up at her.

"Is this really what's bothering you?"

He sighed.

"You saved a stranger, at least in your eyes you did. You keep doing that and it worries me."

"It's my job," She half joked. It was true.

"I know..." He hesitated. "But I'd sleep better at night if you paid attention to your limits more."

"Uchiha Sasuke. Thank you for worrying about me. But I was a genin then, and probably fixated on finding you. Look at me, do I look like I would be reckless now?"

"I suppose not."

"Then what's wrong?"

...

"I love you."

Sakura gasped, shocked by her husband's words. She did not expect a sudden _Aishiteru_ over dinner.

"That's..."

"I love you. And I don't know what I'd do without you in this world. Your existence... it's like breathing to me. I need it. So please take care of yourself."

After a long time, she smiled.

"Fine."

* * *

_**Happy #SasuSakuTwitFest2020!** _


	5. Sasuke's Pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes Sasuke can't help it, and sometimes Sakura can't take it.
> 
> #SasuSakuTwitFest2020  
> Day 2 Prompt: "I love you." "I already know."

He watched as his wife softly hummed a made-up tune. 

The sun was still low enough that it shone through her pink hair making the latter appear almost like a golden curtain surrounding her face.

Her brows were scrunched up in concentration as she reviewed her cases for the day. It couldn't have been later than 5am but she was often already awake at this time.

Sasuke's eyes slid down toward his wife's lips, the bottom of which she was currently chewing. A bad habit. He could tell when she had had a bad day at work when she came home with them chapped, or bleeding, or both.

It looked like Sakura realized he was awake because she suddenly smiled as she was reading.

"Good morning, _anata_ ," she murmured, not taking her eyes off her clipboard.

"Ah," he replied. 

His eyes traveled down to her rough, slender hands that he'd seen so often do incredible things, whether it be to save people or destroy entire landscapes. One might look at them from afar and not think they were capable of either things, but he had always been close enough to her to know otherwise. Ever since they were _genin_ , his wife always seemed to prove other people wrong.

Her hands were the same.

He took one and planted a kiss on it before putting it back on the clipboard.

Sakura kept flipping through her files, but asked absently.

"What's up with you this morning?"

"Nothing, I'm just... proud," he said, his voice still husky from waking up.

"Of my hands," Sakura giggled.

"Yes."

... 

"Sakura."

"Hmm?"

She finally turned to him and saw the look on her husband's face. 

She knew that look.

"I—" he began.

"Silly," she turned back around, face burning, not ready for this so early in the morning. "I already know."


	6. The not-a-date, but definitely the first not-a-date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe the sunset did things to him too.
> 
> #SasuSakuTwitFest2020  
> Day 3 Prompt: Kiss

They were on a mission on the outskirts of Fire, but they were currently resting on a bench overlooking the sea. The sun was about to set and Sakura couldn't help but reminisce. 

"Remember when we were kids and you hated me?"

Sasuke frowned. "I didn't hate you."

"I know," she giggled. "But you always called me annoying. And told me to stop hanging all over you."

"I called you annoying thrice... and that doesn't mean I hated you."

She nudged him with her elbow.

"I wanted to thank you, actually, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn. For what?"

"If you hadn't pushed me, I would have stayed like that forever."

"I don't believe that. You were always smart and capable."

She blushed at the sudden compliment. Maybe the sunset did things to him too.

...

"Remember when you left and I tried to stop you?"

Of course he did.

"I thought I'd never see you again. I'm sorry I overdid it, though. I was 12 and told you I loved you. Sometimes I still can't believe I really did that."

She was talking too fast.

"Why are you apologizing? Did you not mean it?"

She paused and looked at the Uchiha's face. He was staring straight ahead at the waves. It had been about a month since the Uchiha came back from his atonement journey and they had been going on sporadic missions ever since, but sometimes Sakura couldn't help but stare at his face. He was still so handsome. But this wasn't the time to think about that. 

"I... did, but I think the way I said it just to try and stop you from leaving..."

She peeked at him. He was still staring straight ahead.

"I can't help but tiptoe around you, Sasuke-kun. You seem... different. In a good way," she added in a rush.

"Sakura."

"Yes?"

She squeaked in shock when she felt Sasuke tilt her chin upwards and plant a kiss on her forehead.

"Sasuke-kun," She looked at him, wide-eyed. "What—"

"It's getting late," he murmured. "Let's go."


	7. Sasuke's Turn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke takes the baby to get vaccinated
> 
> #SasuSakuTwitFest2020  
> Day 4 Prompt: Taking Care of the Baby

Sakura was sick.

It was nothing to worry about, but the baby had to go to the hospital to get vaccinated today. It was absolutely necessary, and it would be such a hassle to set another appointment, Sasuke-kun, Sakura said.

That meant... 

"You'll do fine, Sasuke-kun, you'll see!" she assured him, before turning back to the toilet bowl to regurgitate the contents of their breakfast. 

He swallowed, trying to stay calm, but he couldn't. This was the first time she'd left him with the baby alone.

Not wanting to worry his wife, the Uchiha merely grunted and looked at the infant cooing in his arms, not quite sure what to do with it.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke was used to people avoiding his eyes even when he was strolling through a crowded place. The newly-weds had only stayed in this village for about two months so Sakura could oversee the local children's mental health clinic she had helped bring to existence, but it was usually the same. People tended to give him space, even when he was a genin. However today was different than most days.

"Ohhh, is that your baby?"

"She is so _kawaii_!"

"She has your eyes!"

"Can I touch her hair?"

By the time he got to the hospital, Sasuke was exhausted.

"Uchiha-san?" the medic nin—Ruka?—called. "Oh, I thought Uchiha Sakura-san was bringing her in today," Ruka remarked, spotting the baby in his arms.

"You are so cute! Sooooo cute," she continued, as Sasuke stared. He was not used to hearing those words uttered near him in such a manner. Except maybe from his wife.

He cleared his throat.

"I'll be over there, then," he said, handing over the child awkwardly.

"Ngghh," it began.

...

"She won't let go, Uchiha-san," the medic said. 

_I can see that._

"Um, you can hold onto her while we give her the shots."

"I—"

"Uwaa," the baby said, louder. Its tiny nails were digging into his clothes.

"Uchiha-san?"

...

"Fine."

* * *

"You're back!" Sakura jumped from the sofa and immediately looked him and the baby up and down. "Your face is all scratched, anata." 

"Hn," he said simply. He could spare her the details. 

"I told you you had nothing to worry about," she said smugly.

"Isn't that right, Kaori-chan?" She cooed. "Mama and Papa will be back tomorrow to pick you up!" 

"You'll do great when it's your turn," she turned to her husband, smiling warmly as she grabbed his hand and lay it softly on her still flat belly.


	8. The One Where Sasuke Doubts Himself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, Sasuke wishes he could ask someone for advice.
> 
> #SasuSakuTwitFest2020  
> Day 5 Prompt: Pregnancy

Those next few months of traveling together were perhaps the most wonderful moments of his life. They were doing missions together and finally spending time together and one thing led to another... 

Sakura had been so nervous when she told him. They weren't planning on having a baby until at least a year after their marriage. They had been careful, doing the necessary jutsus—apparently that wasn't enough.

Sasuke had reassured her, of course. It was okay. They would just have to take less stressful assignments—they could still travel together and just go home about a month before the baby was due. 

"But Sasuke-kun, are you okay with it?" Sakura had asked him, her green eyes searching his for any doubt. "If you aren't ready, I could—"

He had silenced her with a kiss then, which was all the reassurance she needed.

... 

But now three months have passed and he didn't know what to feel. Of course, he would never admit it.

Little did he know, Sakura already knew.

"You're scared, aren't you?" She asked during one of their walks.

Silence took over, and Sasuke looked anywhere but his wife.

"Sasuke-kun..." She called out softly.

There was a pause before he started speaking.

"I don't know how..." He said, his voice barely audible among the leaves crunching beneath their feet.

"What?"

"You're so good at this, Sakura. You were always taking care of everybody ever since you were _genin_. Me, on the other hand... I wish I could ask someone for advice."

"Sasuke-kun, look at me."

"Do you remember when I was feeling down about myself when we were about to take the _chuunin_ exams?"

He was silent. What did that have to do with anything?

"Remember when nobody noticed anything, not Naruto, not Kakashi-sensei who bless his soul was supposed to be a father-figure of some sorts." She giggled.

"You noticed something was off, and you remember what you did?"

_Ah._

"That's different."

"I don't know if it was. You were attentive, you did something about it. You even winked at me, that must have been so difficult for you!"

His ears felt hot. 

"That's _different_. I—" he paused.

"Yes?"

"You were... we were..."

He was surprised when she kissed his cheek.

"I get it, you liked me," she laughed. "And you'll _love_ our child, Sasuke-kun. You'll be fine."

"Hn."

"And don't worry about advice. That's what I'm here for," she said smugly.

At this, Uchiha Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle.

Of course. As usual, his wife was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this will be my last canon-compliant entry (that is not a snippet) I'll have for the TwitFest! I think... but I just want to thank all those who commented and reviewed the past few days! To be honest I haven't really been okay creatively, among other things, because of a lot that's been happening right now. But your comments have really helped me so much! Please take care of yourselves, and remember!! #JunkTerrorBillNOW #OustDuterteNOW #BlackLivesMatter


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